Apparatus for the drying and pressing or shaping of garments and the like



3 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 27, 1927. Y

F. DEWHURST AePARATus FOR THE mmm AND snEssING 0R sHAPING oF GARMENTS AND THE LIKE v Filed April 30, 1927 Dec. 27, 1927.

F. DEwHuRsT APPARATUS FOR THE DRYING AND PRESSING OR SHAPING OF GARMENTS AND THE LIKE.

Filed April 50, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 27, 1927. 1,653,761

' F. DEWHURST APPARATUS FOR THE DRYING AND PRESSING OR SHAPING F GARMENTS AND THE LIKE Filed April 30. 1927 3 sheets-.sheet s Patented DecrZy 1927a UNITED STATES" rarnarr errori;

ria/ann nnwirunsfr, or ritenneencueny meenam), nssreieon, To BAKER PERKINS LIMITED, or rnrnnsonouen, ENGLAND( APPRTUS FOR BRYNG AND vEIRESSIIDTG UR SHAPING GF GAR-MENTS AND TE LIKE.

Application filed April 30, 1927, Serial No. 1812,91?, and in Great llrtain May 5, 1928.

This invention relates' to apparatus, for use in laundries and for like services, Where by the drying and pressing or shaping of garments and the like are effected by means such that the said operations are effected by the temporarYT confinement or trapping of heated air Within the garment for extending the latter and so shapingthe same, simuh taneously with the drying, as to dispense Withsubsequent 'ironing or calendering.. The object of this invention is to provide improved apparatus for facilitating` such treatment of the garments, and it comprises t the combination with a hot air duct or ducts l5 of means for carrying the garments along the ductand in such communication with its interior as will leep them charged with or extended bythe hotair throughout such conveyance. t. Y y y j The invention further Vcomprises theprovision of the supplementary means for the treatment ofl the garments in the manner hereinafter described. y

Referring to the three vaccompanying sheets of explanatory drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation, Figure 2 ax plan and Figure San end vieyv of one form of apparatus in accordance with this 1nvention and ,constituting what may `betermed A eu anairironer. i

Figure 4 1s an elevation showing- (to `a larger scale) a. portion of one of the air ducts or trunks, Vand Figure 5 a sectional end view of the same. A

Figure cis a sectional end View a detail hcreinafterreferred to.

llhe saniereference letters in the dilierent views indicate the `saine or similar parts.

InA the apparatus inw accordance'vvith this 40 inventionas illustrated by the drawings, I l preferably employ a pair of'ducts or trunks a disposed in parallel and with sufficient spacebetween them to accommodate a supplementary conveyor for the purpose hereinafter described. In association with each of the said Aducts there is arranged an endless belticonveyor Z2? one run or reafn of which (preferably the upper) is on the exterior of the ductwhilst the otherl reach (preferably the lower) ypasses through the duct.

A. gap or aperture c extends along the underside of each duct and beneath the same supporting guide or runway Z is provided showing `chain conveyor p "is providedi ,for 'a number of nozzle like slides or sliding nozzles c, each of which serves to support a `.garment (as, `for exa1nple, an loverall or rcon'ibinati'on garment) and to admit the hot air thereto from the duct. One of *said overalls `or the lilre is `indicatedby dotted hues a-t- F igure l. Such slides or'n'ozzlesle with the` garments suspended therefromare placedon the said runway (at the loading end A of the apparatus) and conveyed :or pushed therealong by means of carriersv or :abutment pieces; attached to the endless oelt '5. Adjacent each of the said carrier" lor abutment pieces f an aperture g (Figure i2) is formed in the belt or conveyor toreg- Vister with a slidingnozzle `@,lso that Whilst the latter' viscarried along by the belt the hot air nfrom the duct a has access to the garment and lreeps the same extended pressed out Whilst itis dryinv; y

Flach belt or conveyor is mounted on or passesaround theend Wheels or `'pulleys h.

The tvvov pulleys at one'end` of the apparatus `are aliixed to thevone shaft z' whichis driven thnough chain Wheel y from thefwvorm or gear `bei: )t forming;partV of or arranged 1n association with the electric or other drivino; motor Z. K r The air required 1s drawn by affan m,

driven by an electric motora or otherwise, through a heating1 chamber oiand delivered into the ducts a aforesaid under a` sullicient pressure to rive the required extension'or inflation of the garments. Thesaid chamber o is fitted with steam pipes or other 0rdinar-y means for heatingthe air in its passage through the chamber underthe "action ofthefanm.

Between the ducts u aforesaid there is' disposed, in the example illustrated, an endless chain conveyor p withlioolrs or suspension Vmembers by which the garments may be suspended, after detachment from the slid# ing nozzle @at thev unloading` end FrlFig-k ures l and 2) of the apparatus', and so moved along' with said conveyor 'for subjection to an additional drying action. In this'inan# ner :the Wrist bands or otherthiclrened parts of a garment may be subjected" toa supplementary drying action when the same is necessary or desirable.'4 The upperendfof more clearly at Figure 6, with rollers fr which are supported by the fixed track 8. rIhe hooks or suspension members are attached to the chain conveyor p an thus in addition to sustaining the suspended garments they serve also to support the conveyor itself: as it travels between and around the end wheels or pulleys The conveyor 77 is driven Jfrom the shaft z' (Figures l and 2) aforesaid by means of chain gear u and bevel wheels o, one of the latter being mounted coaxially lwith one ot the end wheels or pulleys t ot the conveyor p.

The casing fw of the apparatus, between the loading end Ayand the unloading end B is made to torm a pair of outer chambers as extending beneath the air ducts ce,` and a central chamber y. The sides of the said chambers may be hinged and fitted on the interior with hooks or the like for the reception in a stretched or extended form of curtains and other :fabrics to be dried to a finished shape and condition. The Vsaid `curtain drying and like operations may be eiect-ed without interference with the drying of garments by passing same along the air ductsin the manner aforesaid.

The conveyors as e on the outer sides of `the apparatus servefor the return ot the goods, or the sliding nozzles e, from the exit B to the entrance A of the apparatus.' `The said conveyors e, `in the exampleillustrated, are driven through chaingears l and 2 from 'the wheels or pulleys it of the air duct cohveyor b at the entrance or loading end of the apparatus.` y f y In Fthe use of the machine or apparatus, an operative or operatives at the loading end A inserts a nozzle e in the neck ofleachgarn ment, as for example the garment 3 indicated/by dotted lines at Eigure l, and ties or' astens thefsleeve andieet ends so that thegarment forms as it were a `closed bac. The nozzle (with the"` garment hanging therefrom). is then` placed on the track l beneath one or the other oi' the air ducts a. As it` is thus supported in alignment with the aforesaid carrier orl abutment pieces one oi the latter, bythe `movement of conveyor I), will push the nozzle along the track cZ and so carry tliengarment to the'exit or unloading end B of the machine.` Throughout its movement ythe garment, will be kept charged with and extended by the hot air admitted from air` duet a through one of the conveyor apertures g aforesaid.` Then the garment emerges at the exit B an operative withdraws it from the track d, releases the nozzle andlplaces same on` one of the con veyors e for returntothe loading endlA, and, after removing Athe ties or 'fastenings from the sleeve and feet ends of the garment, hangs thelatterfromene of the hooks of the central conveyor p by which it iscarried tothe inner end of `the central or final airf duct.

ing chamber y and thence back again to the exit B for removal from the machine in an eitect-ually dried condition.

Though the apparatus or machine as illustrated is provided with two air ducts a, each having a conveyor b and other parts associated therewith atoresaid, and w'itll a central conveyor p between saidducts, the invention is not limited to such an arrange ment.

llaving thus describedmy invention what l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters ljatcnt is l l. In apparatus lor the drying andpress ing or shaping of garments and the like, the combination comprising an air duct, means for carrying the garments along the exterior ot' said duct, and means whereby the air from said duct obtains access to and ex tends the garments as they progress along the duct. y y

2. In apparatus tor the drying and pressing or shaping of garments and the like, the combination comprising an air duct, a runway beneath said duct, nozzles mountedon saidrunway and supporting said garments Aand admitting air thereto from said duct, and a conveyor whereby said nozzles and garments are moved along said runway.

Br In apparatus tor the drying and pressing or shaping ot garments and the like, the combination comprising an air duct, a runway heneath said duct, nozzles mounted on said runway and supporting said garments, an endless conveyor, and` abutment pieces transmitting the movement of the conveyor to said nozzles and the garments they support. t

Ll. In apparatus tor the drying and press ing or shaping oi' garments andthelike, the combination comprising an air duct having a gap extending along its underside, a run-i,

way beneath and adjacentto the said gap, nozzles mounted on saidrunwayand sup porting said garments, an endless conveyor having one run or reach on the exterior and the other run or reach on the interior ol' the duct and forming a cover for sai d gap, abutment pieces transmitting the movement of the conveyor to said nozzles and the garments they support, and aperturesin the conveyor-'adjacent said abutment pieces for the passage of the air from the duct through theg said nozzlesto the `interior` oi the garments. t, y y y, .i "y y "5. In apparatus for the drying and pressing or shaping of garments and the like, the combination comprising an air duct, means for carrying the garments along the exterior of said duct, means whereby the air t from said duct obtains access to and extends the garments as they progress along the duct, and a `conveyorvtor `the return of` the gar ments from the enit to the entrance of the 6. In apparatus for the drying and pressing or shaping of garments and the like,

the combination comprising an air duct,

means for carrying the garments along the exterf or of said duct, means whereby the air from the duct obtains access to and extends the garments as they Vprogress along the duet, and means for subject-ing the garments to a supplementary drying after the movement ol the same along the duct. y

7. In apparatus for the drying and pressing or shaping of garments and the like, the combination comprising an air duct, means for carrying the garments along the eXterior of said duct, means whereby the air from the duct obtains access to and extends the garments as they progress along the duct, and means for maintainingr the duet charged with hot air.

8. In apparatus for the drying and press ingor shaping ol garments and the like, the combination comprising a central and two outer Chambers7 an air duct in each of said outer Chambers and means :for carrying the garments along the said duct and for ad initting tothem the air from the duet as they progress along ,the same, and a conveyor whereby the garments are Carried through the said central chamber after passing along the outer chambers. l

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

FRANK DEWHURST. 

